Environment

For the third year, Pioneer County Park will showcase festive Halloween fun this coming weekend, September 29 – October 1

Delight the family with a weekend of goo-lish entertainment Friday night, September 29. Children will be excited to recieve goody bags, check out a glow in the dark bike parade and a bonfire at the Lodge where s’mores can be made.

Saturday, wake up refreshed to enjoy breakfast at the Lodge and move on to the day.The children will enjoy festive Halloween activities all day long, from free pumpkins, decorating them, hayrides, bounce house, Trick or Treating to so much more.

USS Silversides Museum in Muskegon, Michigan will be presenting a series of films titled, Great Lakes Film Series: Storms, Shipwrecks, Rescues and History.

This series of four films will be presented on Wednesdays in July at 11:00am and then again at 2:30pm, beginning Wednesday, July 8, 2015, with Ric Mixter as creator and producer of the series of intriguing Great Lakes documentaries. He produced the outstanding video “Storm.” Below is the schedule for the series:

July 8: Cutter Rescues: Video and interviews of Coast Guard Members and crews rescued during perilous storms.

July 15: Edmund Fitzgerald: History and video of the birth and then the death of this ship on November 10, 2010 on the Great Lakes.

July 22: Bombs Away: A documentary about the closure of Selfridge Air Base and the departure of the bombers is shown and narrated.

MUSKEGON, Mich.—Earth Day is less than a month away, but now is the time to sign up to clean up a Muskegon jewel.

Volunteers are needed again this year to clear the Muskegon Lake watershed of trash. The cleanup will run from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, April 26. The event is being coordinated by The Muskegon Lake Watershed Partnership, United Way of the Lakeshore and West Michigan United Labor.

Last year, dozens of artists transformed junk and debris from the shoreline into art. Proceeds from the Muskegon Lake Project artwork went to the Muskegon Lake Watershed Partnership.

PLAINFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich.— A ‘Battle of the Buildings’ is underway in West Michigan, and the winner gets to keep more of their money.

The U.S. Green Building Council of West Michigan says more than 14 Grand Rapids area businesses have signed up for the competition to reduce energy usage. Participants include Steelcase and Spectrum Health, JSJ Corporation in Grand Haven; Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids, Steelcase in Kentwood; The Grand Rapids Art Museum; Kent Intermediate School District; Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park; Aquinas College; Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo; the Muskegon County Hall of Justice and Metro Health Hospital in Wyoming.

PLAINFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich.— A ‘Battle of the Buildings’ is underway in West Michigan, and the winner gets to keep more of their money.

The U.S. Green Building Council of West Michigan says more than 14 Grand Rapids area businesses have signed up for the competition to reduce energy usage. Participants include Steelcase and Spectrum Health, JSJ Corporation in Grand Haven; Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids, Steelcase in Kentwood; The Grand Rapids Art Museum; Kent Intermediate School District; Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park; Aquinas College; Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo; the Muskegon County Hall of Justice and Metro Health Hospital in Wyoming.

The Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce will be presenting a program on Muskegon Lake Development on Friday, March 27, 2015 from 7:30 – 9:00am in the Downtown Muskegon Holiday Inn and Conference Center. Registration at 7:00am.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has announced the award of 20 grant projects totaling more than $4 million, under the Michigan Invasive Species Grant Program.

The grant program is central to Michigan’s new invasive species initiative, which brings a multi-department, comprehensive approach to the ongoing problem of harmful, non-native invaders such as the Asian carp. The initiative enlists the expertise of the state departments of Natural Resources, Environmental Quality and Agriculture and Rural Development.